I. Field
Example aspects of the present invention generally relate to private line communication systems, and more particularly to an event signaling framework that is adaptable to, and independent of, both incoming and outgoing protocols.
II. Related Art
Typical notification systems deliver messages to a set of recipients by sending an electronic communication when a new topic has been added to an application, a status has changed, or an event has occurred. Certain computer and telecommunications applications implement notification services to provide a status indicator that conveys ability and willingness of a potential communication partner to communicate. This status indicator is sometimes referred to as a “presence indicator.” The topic of presence is provided via a network connection to a presence service in the form of presence information (or presence state), which can be made available for distribution to users or clients on a network to convey availability for communication.
Notification topics have a wide application in many communication services. A turret system, for example, is a specialized telephony switching system that allows a relatively small number of users to access a large number of external lines and provides enhanced communication features such as hoot-n-holler, push-to-talk, intercom, video and large-scale conferencing. These features are often utilized in the financial industry such as trading floor environments, as well as security/law enforcement, utilities, healthcare, and customer support (e.g. contact centers) environments. Users interface with a turret system through a turret device, which is a phone-like desktop device with multiple handsets and speakers and multiple buttons.
A turret is either implemented in dedicated hardware (sometimes referred to as a “hard” turret) or general-purpose computer (sometimes referred to as a “soft” turret). With the advent of Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”), VoIP turret devices have moved from a fixed environment of dedicated voice communications trading resources to a more virtualized trading environment across multiple sites. This virtual environment allows resources to be shared dynamically, when and where required, across a global corporate enterprise.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/943,800, entitled “Systems, Methods, Apparatus and Computer Program Products for Sharing Resources Between Turret Systems and PBXs Using SIP”, incorporated herein by reference in it is entirety, provides an advanced interface which allows sharing of resources across two telephony/switching systems without the need for custom, non-standardized, vendor-specific computer telephony integration (“CTI”) solutions. Resources across a turret system and a telephone exchange are shared using an agent which registers into the telephone exchange as a predetermined device and to receive a state change notification of a resource from at least one of the telephone exchange and the turret system. Receipt of the state change notification causes the agent to change a state of a corresponding resource.
One technical challenge is in providing state change notifications in a manner that is adaptable to, and independent of, both the incoming and outgoing protocols. Another technical challenge involves providing notifications within a private line communications system environment without the need for dedicated notification servers.